Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I was talking to owner of one of my local gun shops the other day and we got to talking about how I was trying to decide on the caliber of the next rifle I'm going to buy.
He said something that kinda' caught me off guard. He said, in his eyes, the great 7mm. Rem. Mag. was a dieing caliber.
His point was that so many hunters are going to opposite ends of the spectrum in caliber selection for hunting. He said that he's selling lots of calibers like the .243, LOTS of the .25-06, and as always a steady number of .270's and .30-06's.
He said that there also seems to another "category" of deer hunters he's selling to. The come in wanting the7mm. Ultra Mag, .300 Win. Mag., .300 Ultra Mag. and the like.
He was saying that he had really like the 7mm. Rem Mag for deer/bear/elk hunting but he said his sales of that caliber were going through the floor.

Just wondering what you folks thought. I do see his point, but I also know quite a few guys that swear by their "7 MAG".
What do ya' think? Is the "7 MAG" here to stay or going away?

Schoolcraft

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

The 7mm was one of the first sub 30 Whiz Bang Magnums. They were normally sold to the guy who wanted the next best thing. The ammo was always over priced. If you do not mind the recoil, then why go to a 7mm. It was always oneof the good flat shooting deer cartridges(some professionals feel it is a bit light for elk), but now there are too many other choices. So the answer is YES, I believe it is on it's way out. Tom.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I dont think its dying. I doubt it ever will..theres legions of 7mag fans out there. Its not my fav butit is for plenty of others. I have one and just dont care for the recoil.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

The 7mmremmag is still one of the best selling cartridges in my area.In fact the last 4 rifles bought by the people that I hunt with,were all 7mmremags.The 7mmwsm is not selling at all though.Then again,I live in an area where the primary game for most people is moose,and even our deer are much larger than in many locations.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I don't think it is dying or that it ever will. The shooting populus is a fickle lot when it comes to cartridge selection. You either have those wanting the latest and greatest, or wanting what Dad or Grandpa said was the best. I myself go through different cartridges at times but I always have my old standbys in the safe to fall back on. I have never been a fan of the 7mm Rem Mag, but it does have its merits and I am sure it has developed enough of a following that the circle will come back around. The older shooters will start shooting them again and the new generation will want to try them out. I would venture to say that the 243 Win, 25-06 Rem, 270 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, 7mm Rem Mag, 308 Win, 30-30 Win, 30-06 Sprnfld will always have a following along with some that I have forgotten to add.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

To me the 7mm mag is like the 280. It is a very versatile cartridge but may get overlooked.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?

I doubt it. As far as I know, the 7 Mag. is still in the top ten most popular reloading dies being sold each year.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

The 7mm remington magnum is dying the same way .22lr,.270,and 30-06 is dying. All you have to do is look at reloading equipment(dies)/and or componets sales in thatcartridge/caliber. It is too good and too well entrenched to be kicked out of the race.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

People were saying the same thing about the .30/'06 50 YEARS AGO!

It ain't left yet, either.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I don';t really know but one thing is for sure, There are tons of used ones in every gun store in our area. The 300 WSM has cut into its sales in a big way according to the local gun stores. I have had five of them but will never own another.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr lol but do know lots of folks goin the other route ultra mags and short mags all comes down 2 personal prefrence shoot what u like is my prefrence i recently leanintwo the .280 almost everything a 7mmag has butwith less recoil

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Not in colorado, it is real popular for the mountains and plains hunters. I like it alot and have kinda owned one in the past. I almost bough one 6 months ago and opted for the WSM version mostly because I wanted 7mm MAG performance in a short action package. The 7mm rem mag will be around as long as I am alive. It always seems it does good at what the 270 could be marginal for and I ama HUGE 270 fan. EJ

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

The 7mm is experiencing slow sales now because of all the new calibers out there. It will bounce back. It is one of the best big game rifles in existence.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

The 7 Mag is here and is only getting better, my friend

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I get a REAL LAUGH every time I hear that the "experts regard the 7 Mag as on the light side for elk"!! For elephant, perhaps........

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Naaaa, the 7mm mag isn't going anywhere. It's easily one of the top 5 calibers in my area and still the most common magnum people are using. Sales may have dipped a bit during the recent short mag craze but the short magsseem to be the ones fading away in my neck of the woods.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

The 7 Rem Mag is here to stay. A good choice for anything in North America with the exception of the great bears and will do fine for alot of plains animals on the Dark Continent.
Maybe that particular store doesn't sell to many but I can assure you they still sell well and you'd be hard pressed going to any hunting camp in season and not seeing a 7 or two being use weather for deer or elk. You want to talk calibers that might not be around in a few years down the road are the Ultra offerings along with the 204. Remington introduced the 5mm Mag in the early 70's and manufactured and sold 60,000 guns and stopped producing ammo. IMHO the round was equal if not better than the current 17 but fell by the wayside.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Yea, seriously, if that's light, then what IS sufficient? I'm pretty sure a gun that can hold as true as a 7 rem mag and have enough oomph to knock an elk out past 400 yds is sufficient. I personally own one and really like the performance. I think the SA mags might decline but won't leave either. Too many people want a short action for that'Quicker second shot' instead of learning to shoot true.


Who's this mysterious "EXPERT"?

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I laugh even harder when those same "experts" that say the 7mm Rem Mag is lightrecommend the 30-06 is the minimum for elk.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I am in no way an expert on elk. I have been to a dozen or more elk camps in my life. The "expert's" that I speak of are the guides in elk camp. And YES I consider them experts. I am not talking about gun writers. All, I repeat ALL, the elk guides that I have hunted with have told me two things consistently. 1. The larger the caliber a hunter can handle-the better. 2. Always put asecond round into the animal, if you can. IMO this is good advice. I can promise you a guide would rather hunt with a hunter who can shoot a 338 Win. Mag. over a 7mm Rem. I have alot of friend's who elk hunt all the time(I can no longerhunt elk), and they tell me that they are seeing more and more 375 H&H's, in elk camp.

If a hunter can not handle a larger caliber rifle, then that hunter will probably also have a problem with the 7 mag. as well. I can not argue with common sense. And common sense should tell you that bigger is better.

Flat shooting is not all it is cracked up to be. If you practice with your rifle enough to be effective with it at 300 or 400 yards. Then you should be able to handle the recoil of an elk caliber. And you shouldknow your rifle well enough to be able to make calculations concerning your trajectory. And the 7mag. with a 175 grain bullet(elk bullet), is not point blank at these ranges.The larger caliber's-like the 338 Winnie are flatter shooting at the longer distances, past 300 yards. Tom.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

And a hunter that can't handle a 7mmremmag,will also have problems with a 30-06.

Of course somple people like myself prefer to use a 140gr controlled expansion bullet like the tsx or barnes mrx which does shoot flatter than a 338winmag.Myself and my partners have taken many elk using various 7mms and not one of us uses bullets heavier than 150gr.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

To Stubblejumper: I am not saying that you are wrong. I am only repeating what the elk guides have told me. I did not even mention a 30-06. So I have no idea where that comment came from?

Also if you believe that a 140 grain 7mm bullet is as good as a 225 grain or even a 250 out of a 338 Win. Mag. Then I can not think of an argument to combat that logic. Also IMO- if you dive into the trajectories-past 300 yards, you will not find alot of difference between your 140 grain, and a good 225 grain 338. Also IMO in the west the wind is normally a larger problem than bullet drop, and I am pretty sure the 338 with a large bullet is superior in wind bucking capability. Tom.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Not really surprising since in today's magnumitis craze it takes a 300 RUM to even think about piercing the hide of a deer. They have afterall evolved to have armor plating over the last few years.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Using the calculator at the link below.

http://www.eskimo.com/~jbm/calculati...raj_basic.html

I chose the 140gr partition for the 7mmremmag and the 225gr partition for the 338win mag to keep the bullet style consistant.Checking in several manuals the 140gr partition can usually acheive 3200fps out of the 7mmremmag,while the 225gr partition can usually acheive 2800fps out of the 338win mag.

Let's start with trajectory.Both with a 200 yard zero

7mm-140gr partition drops 5.8" at 300 yards and 17.1" at 400 yards.

338win mag-225gr partition drops 7.9" at 300 yards and 22.8" at 400 yards.

wind drift-10mph wind

7mm-140gr partition 6.1" at 300 yards and 11.3" at 400 yards

338-225gr partition 7.0" at 300 yards and 13" at 400 yards.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Plus the 338 Win Mag with a 225 grain bullet will generate about 9 foot pounds more recoil than the 7mm Rem Mag with a 140 grain bullet at those velocities listed above.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Since about a jiiion elk have been killed with the 270, 30-30, 44-40, 30-40 krag, 300 Savage and even the 243 and 25-06, It would be ridiculous to assume that the 7 Mag is to light. It used to be the skill of the hunter not, using a cannon. If the elk get any tougher it will require ordnance on wheels.[:@]

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I guess you have heard about the mutant species of elk in Colorado that have been eating hunters too? Rumor has it one was kidnapped by aliens and gentically mutated to have reactive energy shields.....this species is rumored to be extremely dangerous and entirely impervious to any silly earthling weapons!!!

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Never heard of them.However I often hear of deer being so big that the "hunter" first thought that they were elk.:D

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I agree Stubble and the foot pounds of energy pretty much evens out beyond 300 yards although I choose to compare my 7 Rem Mag in 160 grains with the more commonly used .300 Winchester Mag in 180 grains. Our 7 Mag with the round weights given pretty much beat the .300 Mag beyond 300 yards ballistically in all categories including windageexcept for trajectory. So you see, bigger is not necessarily better. Now get prepared for the .277 to get entered into this equation, HA HA HA!

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Just bringing the thread back to the disappearing 7mm mag from the Elk conversation.....I was using the 7mm mag when most weren't and I've seen more switch to 7mm mags tham from away them. It's not the only cal. that I have in my gun safe but it's a cal. I wouldn't be without.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I personally quit killing deer with my 7Mag several years ago, and went to the 7-08 for that But am I going to sell my big 7? I don't think so. It's just too versatile a cartridge to let go. Is it dying? Hardly. Why did I switch? Getting older. Don't get me wrong. I'll sit down at the bench with it with the best of them, but I just don't enjoy the recoil anymore. It always has been, and will continue to be a tremendous round. And you can buy it off the shelf nearly everywhere. Something you can't say about some of the other "imitators". Do what you want.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I don't see it going anywhere. At least not in my lifetime.

I've never drawn an elk tag yet, but I have loaned my 7mag to 2 hunters to take on their elk hunts. Both of their guides felt they were "undergunned" then when it came down to it, my handloaded 160gr Nosler AccuBonds for the one guy, and 160gr Barnes TSXs for the other, one shot dropped their elk in the tracks. The other guys in their camp had 300 Wins up to 338s, and only one other guy with a bigger gun one shot dropped their elk. This was 2 seperate years, in 2 different states.

I agree with JamesB, its not about who has the biggest/baddest wizzbang magnum, its who can place their bullets.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

Undergunned with a 7 Mag?! And that's coming from a guide?! Pfff....

So tell me why .016 makes such a huge difference? Also, comparing a 160 grain 7mm round to a 180 grain .30 Mag the foot pounds in energyare almost identical from 300 yards on out which by the way both has plenty in that area from 0 to 500 yards.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

M77 ya gotta take into consideration just what kind of client they have most of the time. They probably couldnt hit a house standing in the doorway with their brand new mags. Thats probably why they were apprehensive about that caliber. Although gutshot is gutshot no matter whatthey use..lol.

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

If memory serves me correctly Jack O'Conner killed 18 or so elk with a .270...

I've seen how the "average" hunter shoots...A bigger gun just makes them flinch even more than they do now...

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

I think i might borrow an m61-a1 from a f-16. That oughta get er done

RE: Is the 7mm. Rem. Mag dieing?
 

to the guy looking for a real good accurate load for his 7wsm try 70 gr. Rl-19, it runs thru my chorny at 33oofps and a tack driving load from Bose of Squire,WV.